Sniffing out cancer

We delve into the mystery behind the science of canine high-powered scent detectors and ask if dogs can smell cancer.

A bloodhound has 300 million scent receptors in his nose, a human has five. Also the part of the dog's brain that analyses those scent receptors is 40 percent larger than that of a human brain.

Dina Zaphiris,, dog trainer

Can dogs detect cancer? Three-year-old Troy is a pure-bred Doberman showdog whose owner credits him with saving her life, by discovering a lump in her breast. And she is not the only one.

This week, TechKnow delves into the mystery behind the science of canine high-powered scent detectors, as contributor Cara Santa Maria travels to a dog screening and training facility in California that teaches scent detection.

She also visits the University of Pennsylvania where a unique collaboration between scientists and a world-renowned veterinarian is yielding interesting results.

Also this week, contributors Phil Torres, Shini Somara and Crystal Dilworth talk about ’Suspended Animation’, a body cooling system used to keep gunshot and stabbing victims alive as doctors try to resuscitate them.

Seen mostly in science fiction films, this technology that prolongs life is getting closer to reality.

As part of a new study, doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are now working with shooting or stabbing victims using this revolutionary procedure that almost freezes patients in order to save them.